Tag: fiction

April Reads (inMay!)

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Just getting blog housework done so I can get back on track here! I read 11 books in April.

4 nonfiction, 3 fiction, 1 YA, 1 middle school, 2 quickies

5 Star Reads

Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson. I started reading Heather Cox Richardson’s daily posts a few years ago. As a history professor she can give historical context to what’s happening politically. She is a must read if you want to understand the state of the country. This goes for both sides of the aisle. Her perspective may not be yours, but truth doesn’t take sides, and it shines through.

“The key to the rise of authoritarians, they explained, is their use of language and false history.”

So many people are being misled right now with blatant attacks on truth. Scary times are ahead if enough people don’t wake up to what’s happening. Highly recommend.

The Promise of a New Day: A Book of Daily Meditations. Do you read daily meditation/inspirational books/journals? I love them! I’ve been reading this classic for awhile and was a little sad to come to the end. Not religious but sometimes spiritual, it was a positive way to start the day. Originally published in the 80’s these thoughts are still relevant to lives today. This came though our book sale donations and I’m so happy I brought it home.

All My Friends Are Dead. A link to a little bit of the book I put on IG. This is such a cute book. If you see it, make sure to pick it up and take a few minutes to read through it. I guarantee at least one chuckle.

4 Star Reads

How Reading Changed my Life by Anna Quindlen. This is  is one of those lovely books to sit down with for an hour in a comfy chair with a cup of tea. I love her stories of growing up being a reader and what books meant to her. By reading this it somehow put to words my own feelings regarding books and the home we make for ourselves in them. It’s only 84 pages.

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly. Jason and I have loved the Lincoln Lawyer series on Netflix so I thought I’d give the first book in the long series a try. As usual, Michael Connelly is a master.

Courtroom drama ✔️
Family issues ✔️
Innocent man in jail ✔️
Life or death situations ✔️

I really liked it and will most likely continue the series when I get my hands on book 2. Have you watched the series or the movie with Matthew McConaughey?

Galatea by Madeline Miller. This little gift book is a 56 page novella that would go well with a collection or look great on a shelf or table. Based on Ovid’s Pygmalion myth.

Pygmalion creates a real woman from a marble statue he sculpted himself.
Told from the woman’s perspective this was a liberated take the unnamed statue and the distasteful man who created her. I thought it was everything a grown-up myth should be.

Jackpot by Nic Stone. I’m a new Nic Stone fan. Rico Danger spends her days working to keep her family afloat and attending a high school where she feels alienated for being so poor. When the gas station she works at sells a winning lottery ticket she decides to try and find the lady who bought it. Enter Zan Macklin, son in a wealthy family with lots of expectations. They two go on this lottery ticket hunt together, growing close in the process.

Things I loved…Rico and Zan were cute together. I liked seeing his crush on her wear her shields down a bit. I liked Rico making friends. Pretty much I loved it all until…

Things I didn’t like…the end! No. Just no. And that’s all I’m going to say about it.

The Thursday Murder Club. Four residents in a retirement village form a club to solve old cold cases that the police couldn’t. There was a LOT going on in this book. I listened to it and did occasionally get lost, but I’d rather have that problem than there being too little to focus on. I thought the ‘pushing eighty’ club was brilliant and loved each of the members. I’m undecided about continuing on. Have you read it? Yea or nay?

3 1/2 Stars

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler. I picked up one from Anne Tyler I hadn’t read since she’s one of those authors I love. Her stories are always about real relationships with all of the ups and downs.

We meet Michael and Pauline right before Michael is shipped off to war in 1941. The marriage was a rocky one, but three kids in they’d found a rhythm. They even held it together when their daughter ran away. It wasn’t until they were older that the bond crumbled.

I was a little bored for a while and almost gave this one up, but there was just enough there for me to keep going and I’m glad I did. It’s a solid family saga.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. This is a memoir of the year after author Joan Didion’s died. The night he died their daughter was spreading in the hospital ICU. Can you imagine? There were some insightful thoughts in this National Book Award Winner. I think it would be a good recommendation for anyone going through their own grief journey.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. Alcatraz Island. If you’ve ever visited you know its isolation. You also know that there were many families that lived there to support the prison. Can you imagine living on an island with the worst of the worst?

It’s 1935 and Moose has just moved there with his parents and sister. He finds some friends, but his life is very much affected by his sister, who in today’s world would be diagnosed with moderate autism. Since both of his parent’s work Moose is often in charge of his sister. It’s not always easy to put her needs first, but then his friends become hers.

This is a middle school or younger book and the beginning of a trilogy. I think this is a great book for any kid who has a sibling with autism or another disability. I think it would help them feel seen. And who wouldn’t think it would be cool to live among the convicts?

March Reads (in May!)

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Better late than never! I read 12 books. Six fiction, 2 aduly nonfiction, 3 nonfiction picture books, 1 kids nonfiction.

5 Star Reads

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. Historical fiction loosely based on a short period of time in the life of midwife Martha Ballard. It starts with a birth and a dead body found in the frozen Kennebec River in 1780s Maine. It’s a bit mystery, a bit history lesson, a bit pre-constitution court drama, and a whole lot of a woman’s role in the world at the time.

I loved it and that was before the Author’s Note at the end! I loved learning about the process and the real Martha Ballard, midwife to the births of 1000 children.

The Private World of Katharine Hepburn. I’ve always loved Katharine Hepburn. She was spunky, smart, and no-nonsense. Some of her movies are among my favorites and I loved her ability to be her own person in a world that didn’t even want women to wear pants! This oversize coffee table books is gorgeous and a must for fans. The pictures are very much focused on her later years, but I loved it. Call Me Kate on Netflix is a must watch for fans too. She was a fascinating woman who knew her own mind. She was a movie star who still considered Connecticut her home.

There Are Moms Way Worse Than You by Glenn Boozan and Pricillia Witte. This book is SO MUCH FUN! Not only is it great for moms to read and feel better about their parenting skills, kids will love the bizarre facts. All kids think poop is funny, did you know a koahla mom will feed her kids poop? And the sexton beetle will raise her babes in a decomposing mouse, so how badly can you really be doing? Loved it.

4 Star Reads

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. What would’ve happened if Hillary had kept telling Bill no to marriage and found the courage to walk away? From her graduation speech at Wellesley to the White House, this is the story of what could have been. Would she have married someone else? Become a lawyer, professor, or Supreme Court Justice? Would Bill eventually redeem himself and win her back? What if, gasp, she had won?

I respect Hillary, was happy to vote for her, and am shocked/not shocked at how much this country as a whole is still afraid of intelligent, capable career women with ambition. So, I really liked the book. If you like politics and speculative novels this is for you. If you hate Hillary I’m confident that you will equally hate whatever portion of this book you can stomach to read.

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley. I love all of Susanna Kearsley’s books, but this is a favorite. Set in 1619 Scotland King James has tasked Andrew Logan to find Sir David Moray and bring him back to the king to answer for the death of the prince. I LOVED the group making their way to the king while trying to escape from groups with competing interests.

There’s history, love in all its forms, second site, betrayal, respect, loyalty, and revenge. It’s fun and left me feeling satisfied for the futures of the characters. The author’s note at the end tells what is based on truth (quite a bit) and what was made up in the mind of a gifted storyteller.

When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey. I’ll read any historical romance Johanna Lindsey has written, but the silliness of the blurb had me laughing. “…AlanaFarmer learns the shocking secret of her heritage. Can it be true? Is she really the lost princess of the European kingdom of Lubinia?”

So, I wasn’t expecting much, but it was a PERFECT vacay read. Alana was easy to like. Christoph easy to like if you like alpha men that fit the times. The story had a few mysteries happening with a sinister feel and Alana’s abduction as an infant took an interesting turn. Loved it. There was love, history, mystery, and palace intrigue.

Firsts: Women Who Are Changing the World. When this was published in 2017 all of the women were still living. It was the mix of women, ranging from Maya Lin, designer of the Vietnam War Wall in DC, to Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State. I loved the short essay by each woman and the photos. There were women and girls who each dared to do something never done before by a woman.

Two Friends by Dean Robbins, Sean Qualls, Selina Alko. Who knew Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas, two heavyweights in changing hearts and minds, met and were friendly? I liked this quick introduction for kids in a picture book for kids.

The Legendary Miss Lena Horne by Carole Boston Weatherford, Elizabeth Zunon. Lena’s parents left her alone with her grandmother in Brooklyn for a bit before her mother took her in the road with her. Her mother taught her what she knew and before long Lena was performing on stage and signing a studio contract with MGM, the first for a black actress.

This is text heavy for a picture book, great for older elementary and adults. This was also very descriptive of the racism that she faced. Some of it was surprising, even knowing it happened. If you want your kid to know what racism looked like with specific examples, this is a good one. One example: she was kicked out of a diner when trying to get something to eat on tour and as she was made to leave, these same people were asking for her autograph.

Rebel Girls Celebrate Neurodiversity. This is perfect for girls, the neurodiverse, and all the people who love and respect them. Tweens will love it.

There are known and unknowns included. GOATs like Temple Grandin and newbies like Amanda Gorman. The most common conditions were autism and dyslexia, but here are a few of the others you’ll find, bipolar, schizoaffective disorder, OCD, ADHD, ADD, auditory processing disorder, Down syndrome, dyspraxia. And who knew Billie Eilish has Tourette’s syndrome?

It’s an empowering and inspirational book for girls (or boys) who are different.

3 Star Reads

Always by Sarah Jio. Ryan sees the man who stole her heart on the sidewalk outside of a fancy restaurant she was visiting with her fiance. He was a vagrant begging for money now but he had vanished from her life without a trace years earlier. I really had no idea where this was going and that made it an interesting read. I had a problem with the plausibility of one unlikely thing after another so that kind of took me out of loving it. I did like it and was happy with the ending, another implausibility.

2 Star Reads

Dallergut Dream Department Store by Mi-Ye Lee. This was magical, strange, and dreamy. It was also not my cup of tea. I do wonder if it would be a good one for book club discussions.

February Reads

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I read 12 books this month, bringing my total to 22 for the year. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get more read for Black History Month, with only four. I’m also not reading as much nonfiction as I wanted to this year with only 2 each month.

My favorite books were the Dear Martin and Dear Justyce by Nic Stone. I reviewed them here and here.

I finished the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French with

The Likeness. Book 2. Cassie from In the Woods has started dating a fellow detective and things are going well, but she can’t resist the call to the murder squad when an undercover case seems tailor made for her. There’s a murdered young woman who looks just like Cassie and Mackey convinces her to go and live with the clan-like circle of friends at their house and try to pass herself off as the dead girl. Yeah, it’s a little much, but just go with it. Cassie becomes a little too entrenched and too comfortable.

This wasn’t my favorite, mainly because of how much of a stretch it was, but it was still a fascinating look at a group or friends looking for family.

AND

The Trespasser. Book 6. Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway are back from the last book and the pressure in on. They are given a murder case and told it is a domestic slam dunk. But both are new and wary. When they dig a little deeper, it’s going to make them even less popular in the squad room. I thought one of the storylines at the very end was a fitting way to finish off the series without too much fanfare. I wish there were more!

My book club reads…

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. One day Lauren wakes up in her London area home with a husband who appeared out of her attic. When she sends him up again a different husband comes back down. This goes on for a while as she tries on different lives with different men. What makes her send one back and what if they refuse to go?

It’s a fun concept. I wish it had been a little deeper on some levels, but each new husband brought new excitement so I was never bored.

Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren. Josh + Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is a fun friends to lovers, second chance love story. Hazel’s newish best friend has a party and she finds out that her college crush is her BFs brother.

Hazel has one of those quirky, larger than life personalities and I loved her. I loved how she embraced who she is. As Josh and Hazel become friends and start to double date it’s the sweet, fun romance that I wanted. Don’t worry there was a little spice too!

Nonfiction

Book Nooks: Inspired Ideas for Cozy Reading Corners and Stylish Book Displays by Dina, Gilhuly, and Achilleos. A high quality coffee table book for book lovers! The photos are gorgeous and there are book lists from well known authors.

Call Me Miss Hamilton: One Woman’s Case for Equality and Respect by Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffery Boston Weatherford. Miss Mary Hamilton was a school teacher and a Freedom Rider in the 1960s, given the nickname Red by Martin Luther King Jr. She was arrested many times but her refusal to not answer to Mary in court went all the way to the Supreme Court. Now, thanks to Miss Hamilton, you must be addressed with the respect of your title in the courtroom.

Fiction

Murder Road by Simone St. James. You’ve just gotten married and are driving to your honeymoon hotel when you see a girl on the side of the road at 3 am and decide to pick her up. What could go wrong? Answer: Quite a lot. This isn’t the only hitchhiker this road has seen and it only gets more sinister when they get to town.

I loved this couple. April had secrets, Eddie did too, and together they were broken people. I wouldn’t even mind reading another book about what they’re up to in the future.

It’s Simone St. James so you know there’s going to be some supernatural stuff happening. Not too much and not too little. Just enough to be spooky.

YA

Slay by Brittney Morris. Discussions about race wrapped up in a gaming story will surely appeal to older teens. Gage is reading this for school and I read it with him.

Picture Books

A Favorite Series- The Dublin Murder Squad

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The Dublin Murder Squad is a detective procedural set in Dublin, Ireland. I’m such a stickler for reading book in a series in the correct order. I read the first of the series and then just read them when they showed up at the library book sale. I loved all of the books individually, but it would have been so much better if I’d read them in order.

Give me a murder and some police squad drama both with that Irish accent and I’m sold. Some of the detectives show up in more than one book, which is why I recommend reading them in order since the timeline matters.

I haven’t read any of Tana’s standalones, but now that I’m done with this series I will be. There are only six of these and they are perfect for some binge reading.

In the Woods. Ryan narrates the book with humor and enough foreshadowing to keep you reading well past bedtime (at least it did for me).  He has his problems.  At the best of times he’s cool and fun, at the worst he’s a real piece of work who I wanted to pour a beer on.  He’s best friends with his partner, Cassie, and their brother-sister relationship was one to be envied, by their fellow detectives and the reader.  I loved Cassie.  Loved her more than Rob, especially by the end.

The old mystery of what happens to Rob as a child and the new case of who killed little Katy have a few pieces of connecting evidence and Rob is stuck in the middle of his own hell, one he stepped into willingly.  The mystery was very good, if not totally surprising.  I loved the characters and the history of the village.  French did an excellent job of making me feel right at home in Dublin.  Now I need to visit!

I really, really liked this one.  Yes, by the end I was fairly disgusted with Rob, but I am so looking forward to reading the next of this series.  I know that a lot of bloggers were upset by the loose ends but I was okay with it.  But that could have been because I was expecting it, who knows?

The Likeness. Cassie from In the Woods has started dating a fellow detective and things are going well, but she can’t resist the call to the murder squad when an undercover case seems tailor made for her. There’s a murdered young woman who looks just like Cassie and Mackey convinces her to go and live with the clan-like circle of friends at their house and try to pass herself off as the dead girl. Yeah, it’s a little much, but just go with it. Cassie becomes a little too entrenched and too comfortable.

This wasn’t my favorite, mainly because of how much of a stretch it was, but it was still a fascinating look at a group or friends looking for family.

Faithful Place. This was the third book in the Dublin Murder Squad series, but I’d only read the first and didn’t feel like I missed anything, even though the main character, Frank, first appeared in #2. The complex characters, historic Dublin setting, and slow build mystery, all made this a page-turner.

Frank, an undercover cop from a neighborhood who viewed him as a turncoat because of it, had never come to grips with the disappearance of his first love. He viewed his family as poison and went on to marry and have a daughter and kept them as far away from the madness as possible. But when his first love’s old suitcase is found, he must head back home and face the music.

So, so good. I loved Frank for all his flaws and getting to understand him in relation to where he grew up, which felt like a character of its own. The resolution was both real and heartbreaking. I love gritty thrillers like this. Highly recommend!

Broken Harbor. This story begins with a young family murdered in their home. Well there was one survivor, but it wasn’t either of the young kids. This was an especially hard one and when I finished it on Mother’s Day it felt especially wrong.

Families can look glossy on the surface, but once you rub a bit of that shine off there’s usually something more interesting going on and in this case it was deadly. Bizarre revelations, old friends, and financial instability make the mystery of this family a tough one. This hasn’t been my favorite of the series, but they’re all so good that it didn’t need to be.

The Secret Place. You don’t need to read these books in order, but I’d recommend it if you can. My favorite of the series so far, Faithful Place, featured Detective Frank Mackey and he and his daughter make another appearance here. Stephen Moran is also back.

This one takes place at a boarding school for girls. A year after a boy from a neighboring school was murdered on school grounds the detectives have a new lead and it comes from inside the school. Oh, to be amongst all of that teen angst and those friendship circles again!

The book spans one day of investigation, but it goes into the past investigation and events in depth. I wasn’t crazy about it at first, boarding school stories are iffy for me, but it grew on me and Frank Mackey appeared at just the right time to reel me in for the somewaht surprising finish.

Tana French is such a talented writer! Both books had a paranormal element that mostly worked, even if I think it could have been avoided altogether in The Secret Place and been fine, or even better.

The Trespasser. Stephen Moran and Antoinette Conway are back from the last book and the pressure in on. They are given a murder case and told it is a domestic slam dunk. But both are new and wary. When they dig a little deeper, it’s going to make them even less popular in the squad room. I thought one of the storylines at the very end was a fitting way to finish off the series without too much fanfare. I wish there were more!

Have you read this series?

The others on my Top 100 Book Series.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

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Dear Justyce. Finished 2-7-25, YA fiction, 5/5 stars, 288 pages, 2020

book 2 in the Dear Martin trilogy (Book 1)

Shortly after teenager Quan enters a not guilty plea for the shooting death of a police officer, he is placed in a holding cell to await trial. Through a series of flashbacks and letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Dear Martin, Quan’s story unravels.

From a troubled childhood and bad timing to a coerced confession and prejudiced police work, Nic Stone’s newest novel takes an unflinching look at the flawed practices and ideologies that discriminate against African American boys and minorities in the American justice system.

from Goodreads

I raved about Dear Martin by Nic Stone earlier this week and now I’m back to rave about Dear Justyce the follow up book. I’m not sure which one I liked more. Read them and tell me what you think!

In the first book teen Justyce wrote letters to MLKJr to make sense of his experiences with race and friendship. In this second book his incarcerated friend, Quan, who we met briefly in book one, writes letters to Justyce. Both boys are from the same neighborhood but ended up on two very different paths.

I loved how his friendship with Justyce helped inspire him. Just knowing that Justyce cared what happened to him made a difference for Quan. His look back at how he ended up in prison is more about what happened to get him there than what is actually happening in prison, although there’s some of that.

Surprisingly, I love Quan just as much as I love Justyce and I think you might too.

The third in the trilogy comes out next month.

Drowning by TJ Newman

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Drowning by TJ Newman. Thriller, 3/5 stars. 304 pages, 2023

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.

from Goodreads

I’m not a good flier. I’m a mess and I don’t recommend getting in a plane with me. I’m planning a trip in March that I’ll have to get on a plane for and I’m already low key stressed about it 😆. But I read TJ Newman’s first book, Falling, about a hijacked airplane and I liked it so I thought I’d give this a try.

In Drowning a plane has crashed into the ocean after leaving Hawaii. As the surviving crew and passengers scramble to evacuate, some decide to stay in the plane and wait to be rescued.

I listened to this one, which is good I guess because I never would have made it through reading a physical copy. The beginning was intense and I liked it, but it lost momentum and I just wasn’t that invested. It’s got good ratings, but it just wasn’t for me.

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

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Happiness Falls. Finished 1-16-25, 4.75/5 stars, Mystery. 387 pages, 2023

“Our brains are hardwired to want resolution, to want the answer. The bigger and broader the mystery, the deeper the satisfaction when it’s resolved (a variation on Dad’s low baseline theory). They turn the pages and join the search party, to accelerate the process of solving the puzzle, of turning it into a different kind of story.”

Why did I wait so long to read this?!

One day Eugene, a non speaking teen with Angelman Syndrome, shows up at home, agitated and without his dad. Told in first person from 20 year old Mia’s point of view, this mystery has many layers of mystery. Where is Adam and who is this mystery woman who left messages on his phone? And why are the police interested in Eugene? Mia, her twin John, her Mom, and Eugene are thrown into a world with more questions than answers and more turmoil than it first seemed. Who is this dad they are learning about it? Did they know him at all?

This is set during Covid lockdown time. Personally, learning more about Angelman Syndrome and the risks and dangers of how it’s perceived in the world outside the home spoke to me. The whole question of how much nonspeaking individuals know and if alternate ways of communicating can be found was something worth reflection. There is not enough autistic representation in stories and Kim tied Eugene into the mystery flawlessly.

The end left some questions and I loved that. It felt real.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

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First Lie Wins. Finished 1-3-25, 4/5 stars, thriller, 340 pages, 2024

“There’s an old saying: The first lie wins. It’s not referring to the little white kind that tumble out with no thought; it refers to the big one. The one that changes the game. The one that is deliberate. The lie that sets the stage for everything that comes after it. And once the lie is told, it’s what most people believe to be true. The first lie has to be the strongest. The most important. The one that has to be told.” Chapter 5

Evie makes her living lying and she’s good at it. She makes her way through the world conning people into believing she is someone that she’s not. Her name isn’t even Evie. She left her real name behind long ago. Until. Until the day that someone shows up while she’s deep into a con using the name she was born with.

This was a twisty one. I liked ‘Evie’ and the confident way she handled herself. She had been working on her shady skills since high school and I was a little jealous at how well she could read people!

As much as I liked ‘Evie’ the plot became overly complicated by the end and it stretched how far I was willing to suspend disbelief. But, it was fun, fast, and had a satisfying ending, so I’d still say it’s a win for thriller lovers.

It was a Reece’s Book Club Pick last year and I received it in my Book Club Christmas exchange.

2024 Book Favorites!

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I read 164 books this year, a total of 45,312 pages. On Goodreads my average rating was 4.1.

The longest book was The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith at 950 pages.

I read 49 books as a judge for the first round of the Cybils Awards. I switched from nonfiction to middle school fiction this year. So many great books!

To keep this short I’m letting my Top Ten stand for themselves.

My favorite books of 2024…

Fiction- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Historical Fiction- The Women by Kristin Hannah

Romance- Funny Story by Emily Henry

Historical Romance- Then Came You and Dreaming of You, companion books by Lisa Kleypas

Thriller/Mystery- Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera

Fantasy- A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas

Young Adult- Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

Middle School- Tig by Heather Smith

Middle School nonfiction graphic novel- The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman

Nonfiction- The Places That Scare You: A Guide to Fearlessness in Difficult Times by Pema Chodron

Do We have any in common? What was your favorite in 2024 that I should add to my list in 2025?

October Reads

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Better late than never? October reads minus two. 12 middle school fiction titles for Cybils, 1 fiction, 1 nonfiction. Some of these middle school titles are so good! 

Fiction

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix. 4/5 stars, Horror, 419 pages, 2023

My one adult fiction book this month was perfect for the spooky season. Louise goes back to Charleston after her parents died and finds her relationship with her brother as rocky as ever and the house they grew up in full of the creepy puppets she remembered. But the longer she’s there more memories and secrets come to life.

Are puppets creepy? YES! Are they more creepy when they’re haunted? Again, YES!

No Death, No Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh. 4.5/5 stars, 208 pages, 2002

Thich Nhat Hanh and I had the same birthday. Maybe that’s why his books connect with me so much. He was a Buddhist monk from the age of 16 and involved himself in engaged Buddhism to speak out against social issues. For his efforts to help end the war in Vietnam, where he was born and then exiled, Martin Luther King Jr. nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

He wrote over 100 books, for me this is book 11 I think. His books on mindfulness will be an asset to anyone who reads them.

This book, No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom for Life, focuses on how to look at death and even how to ease the passing of those you love. This has been a part of my morning reading the past few months and I finally finished it today. Powerful and thoughtful.

“We think of our body as our self or belonging to our self. We think of our body as me or mine. But if you look deeply, you see that your body is also the body of your ancestors, of your parents, of your children, and of their children.”

“If you live without awareness it is the same as being dead.”

Middle School Fiction for first round of Cybils reading.

My favorites

Rise of the Spider by Michael Spradlin. If there is ever the perfect book to read at the exact right time, this is one. This is the first of a series and should be read in middle school history classes everywhere.

How did Hitler rise to power? Who are the people that followed him and spread hate and violence? This tells the story of 11 year old Rolf whose brother joins the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, otherwise known as Hitler Youth. Hitler isn’t in power, yet, but he is collecting people more loyal to him than to their country. The next book is titled Threat of the Spider.

This book is only 138 pages and I have at least 12 pages marked with notes and tags. Read your history to avoid repeating it.

Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart. My notes have these descriptive words.. charmingly enchanting, found family, unconventional, quest, mature. This book is deals with grief head on since it focuses on finding a book where her mother wrote where she wanted to be scattered. I fell in love with all of these people and I think you will too. 278 pages.

The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy. A girl and her mother escape a cult, only the girl doesn’t realize that’s what it was and wants to go back. Heartbreakingly good.

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry by Anna Rose Johnson. My notes have these descriptive words…tries so hard, loss, so much beautiful energy, imagination, belief in traditions, hero. Lucy is sent to live on a tiny island with a family who mans the lighthouse. Grief is fresh, but it’s about learning to move on and fit it with new family. 172 pages

Carter Avery’s Tricky Fourth Grade Year by Rob Buyea. My notes have these descriptive words…ADHD, special teacher, first friendships, self advocacy, feeling left out. Carter and his sister live with their grandma and the parents died when they were young, so that’s not the focus, but it’s there. 344 pages

These others were really good too

The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie. Three friends try to go into an old fun house to find treasure. Sure to thrill any escape room enthusiast.

Painting the Game by Patricia MacLachlan. A sweet story of a young girl trying to become a baseball player just like her minor league pitching dad. It has a rural throwback feel with a big ending. 134 pages

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. Two storylines, one of Jakob who works at Bletchley to crack the Nazi’s Enigma cipher and one of his little sister Lizzie who believes her mother is still alive and is trying to stay off a boat to America so she can prove it. There was lots of adventure and mystery along with some legit wartime scariness. 392 pages.

The Misfits by Lisa Yee and Dan Santant. Kids with powers at a school being trained together in teams. If a kid likes superheroes, they’ll like this, the first of series.

Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan. The story of young Safiyyah who loves the library and whose father is in charge of the Grand Mosque of Paris who joins the Nazi Resistance and saves hundreds of Jewish people. So much love for books in this one. 329 pages

Amil and the After by Veera Hiranandani. 1948 India after Amil’s family had to move from the new Pakistan to Bombay. Shows the hardship of moving to a new place.

Faker by Gordon Korman. His dad is a conman and his sister is his competition to become his number two. What happens when Trey finally wants to put down some roots? This was my first Gordon Korman and I’m not sure he’s for me.